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Torlan
Despite being an amphibious race, the Torlan were only officially discovered with the expansion of the under. Previ-ously, the Over was avoided due to failed relations with the Green Skins of Tithos. Evidently more brutal and less refined than themselves, they were viewed as a lost cause as attempts of diplomacy and trade had resulted in the slaughter of ambassadors carrying gifts of good will. After declaring war, the relentlessness and lack of honour of the other races resulted in a loss of Torlan life to too great to suggest any chance of turning the tide, thus a tactical re-treat was ordered. Although occasionally an individual was sent inland to gather resources, if they were spotted they were hunted and killed, fins and ears being taken as popular and valuable trophies. Eventually, the risk was consid-ered too high and soon the Torlan became a myth, forgotten by the Green Skins who thought they had wiped out the opposing race. As such, when humans first began expanding into The Under, the Torlan were wary, none to amused by the barriers keeping them out of the land and sea they considered their own. It was with first meetings with humans that the Torlan were first introduced to the concept of sexualisation, as previ-ously, clothes were exclusive to the hunters and warriors and deemed only required for functionality. This lead to a fair deal of confusion in the first attempts at communication, as well as a slight language barrier developed by (x) years isolation, however, as expansion was stopped until a deal could be reached between the races, some humans and other Panean humanoids began gaining the respect of the Torlan, with the most respected granting the Torlan name to human families, which some still hold today. The Torlan are proud creatures, putting their focus on achievements instead of their image. Their society is strictly ordered, with many jobs assigned from birth, due to the characteristics of the parents chosen to reproduce. Every torlan is given basic hunting training, able to live off what the water supplies using a combination of net trappings and, in the more proficient hunters, spears. Many Torlan put their pride in their social abilities, a sharp wit and a delicate tongue make for the best ambassadors and politicians the Torlan offer. Politics rarely deal with rules, and instead of multiple parties there is a focus on a joint effort to increase efficiency of the nation, as well as a council monitoring the achievements of individual mem-bers of society. The Torlan also value a shared knowledge, thus ambassadors focus on positive relations in order to gain a greater understanding of The Overworld. From an early age, a clutch is aware of their expected place in society, as decided by their linage. While a vast ma-jority take their chosen path, some individuals are chosen to adopt other roles, with some hunters becoming warriors and visa versa, and diplomats opting to become crafters or nurses. Individual choice is always encouraged, despite guidance for them to follow the intended path, as the most efficient workers are those doing what they most desire. Warriors have a strict ranking, which can only be climbed by displaying adequate skill in combat. Spears are fa-voured due to their ease of use both in and out of water, however in combat they are more likely to be used to parry instead of immediately stabbing, blocking an opponent until a fatal blow can be delivered, distinguishing the warriors from the hunters - a fighter will be praised on the fluidity of their movements, whereas hunters are valued for their number of kills. Traders, crafters, nurses and business owners, although typically less celebrated are still a highly valued part of eve-ry community and Torlans are raised to respect each other’s places in society, believing that a lack of respect leads to ruptures in order, and is merely a waste of time. Torlan attire mimics that of the early human fashion of the over, adopted to make human visitors more comfortable and allow easier blending when they began to enter the society of the under. However, fabric is kept to a minimum in order to allow free movement in water – often keeping the wrists, forearm and lower legs either free of fabric or tightly wrapped so that they were less likely to get tangled in aquatic environments. Outfits often incorporate the spoils of the sea, such as shells and pearls, as well as netting and interwoven seaweed, with traders making the most of their unique aquatic niche. Despite their high social ability, the concept of sexualisation and indeed sexual relations is foreign to the Torlan. Un-like most races, when Torlan reproduce they give birth to a sizeable clutch of offspring, who are raised by nurses and occasionally the father, as it is rare for a female to survive childbirth due to the high nutritional and physical toll on her body. As such, reproduction is highly regulated, and the council will often ask specific individuals to reproduce as a high honour, as they have recognised qualities worth passing on to the next clutch. Although males have the po-tential to breed multiple times, they are rarely asked to in order to maintain genetic diversity, however females are typically asked to breed at a later age due to the likelihood they will not survive, and it is believed they should be able to live life to its fullest and most profitable before passing on in childbirth. One prominent traditional event is the Still Tide, a three or four day period where currents are at their weakest, often entirely balancing out. This short period of still water is when individuals are usually chosen to reproduce, typically named on the first day. Those chosen are expected to accept or decline by the final day. The Torlan are not particularly superstitious, but they do have a communal belief that if they stray too far from their territories while hunting or exploring, guiding lights will show them to back to safety. Whether these lights are magical in nature or simply some strange minute creature has not been confirmed, as no-one has dared tried capturing one for study for fear they will stop aiding the Torlan. As some Torlan are rather deep sea faring creatures, stories of slumbering monsters in the abyssal caverns are common, and apparent sightings are frequently ignored due to being far enough away from the safe colonies to be any trouble. Appearance Torlan have several compulsory features. These are, in part, to form a clear distinction from the Attuned races. A Torlan character must have prosthetic fin ears, painted or prosthetic gills, fins on their arms and legs, and water/coral coloured hair, matching colour at least in part to any optional mottling they have. Come optional features are water or coral coloured skin, webbed fingers, head fins or seaweed style hair, colourful mottling, spots or stripes, unnaturally colourful eyes. If you wish to have any feature not mentioned here, please check with a referee beforehand. It should be noted that any racial patterns or mottling should not resemble scales. This race can be attuned to magic, and these traits should be chosen to make any attunement clear. Any water at-tunement is represented by scale patches.